Romance, Love and Paris, the perfect trio !! isn’t it? Most of us might have imagined proposing to our partners, in-front of river Seine with the Eiffel Tower as picturesque backdrop. Maybe with a ring on your knees and some champagne to celebrate the occasion, if she says “yes” or to mellow down the melancholic heart if rejection lurks!! Come on champagne is must when in Paris.
There is the rustic old charm feel to the city, yet it is as modern as it gets!! Thanks to the initiative taken by the UNESCO to restrict the height of the buildings to maximum 6 stories, the city is yet to turn into the modern cement jungle. The city is known for its old architecture right from the iconic Eiffel Tower to the Louvre museum (yes the one that houses the original Mona Lisa and was the center of the conspiracy in Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”), there is also “Les Invalides” which acts as a tomb of Napoleon. Gosh so many relics highlighting the city but there is one central attraction. Literally its at the Centre!!
So at around 6 pm start your evening from there, The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is an arched gateway standing at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle. The monument commemorates the victory French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. It was built at the peak of Napoleon’s rule. It stands on the right bank of the river Seine and forms the centre of 12 radiating avenues. The arch is beautifully lined with many details honouring the heroes and depicting scenes from the struggles of various wars. One could also buy the ticket and go inside which is a sort of museum.
Out of the 12 radiating avenues the most famous and the one that is on the to do list is the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Situated at the western side of the arch, its a 2 km long stretch with culminating at Place de la Concorde (largest square in Paris). It is one of the most famous streets in the world with all iconic brands lined up on either side of the road. The walk in itself is pleasurable. It is the third most expensive retail location after 5th Avenue and Causeway Bay (Hong Kong) and annual rents can go as high as 1 million euro per 100 square meters. It is also the end point of the famous cycling event “tour de France”. Walk along and soak in the atmosphere as there is nothing like it..the diaspora is on the other end of the spectrum to what you will find at La Rambla (Barcelona, Spain). At the end of the street we land up at Place de la Concorde, just beyond that is the Louvre Museum, sadly its closed by now..
Hmm now what? there is still so much to do in Paris..!! retrace your steps and find yourself enjoying the Lido show. The show starts around 8 pm with dinner and champagne. I can go at lengths what the show is all about but that will mar the excitement and experience. Sometimes going into things without knowing much about them adds to the mystique charm and overall aura. Go with an open mind without any preconceived notions as it is a unique displace of skill and craftsmanship, quite unparalleled!! Apart from the artistic performance one will be awed by the sheer size of the stage set ups and how they manage the entire thing within the given time frame. Ons spoiler alert is that, the seating in itself unique. unlike a movie theatre the seats are not build on steps format. So once you are seated you will have a blocked view of the stage..Be patient, as soon as the show starts the platform on which the seats stand (pun intended) will be lowered thereby creating the same effect that the steps in a theatre do!!
The show lasts for 2 to 2.5 hours and after the enriching experience you come out, look at your watch and see its 10:30 pm. Time to call it a day right? Not yet..the highlight of the day or night so to speak is remaining!! Hurry there is less time and you need to cover 1.5 km and reach the Eiffel Tower before 11 pm.!! what happens at 11 pm? The lights at the Eiffel tower shimmers for 2 minutes, each night at 11 pm and that in itself is a sight to behold!! So once you reach there, click pics…don’t forget to get down and propose to your loved one, because its the moment you have been waiting for your entire life!! It was indeed an evening to Savour!
The Enigmatic Pen 